In honor of Black History month and the late Ntozake Shange, Dr. Allison Francis directs the award-winning writers most famous work, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf at Ong King Arts Center.
Traverse space and time during an intimate performance by the incomparable Seattle-based hip hop duo Shabazz Palaces, composed of Ishmael Butler a.k.a. Palaceer Lazaro (formerly Butterfly of jazz rap group Digable Planets) and multi-instrumentalist Tendai "Baba" Maraire, son of mbira master Dumisani Maraire.
The Honolulu African American Film Festival returns for its eighth installment with a selection of films that highlight the diversity of experiences of love, resistance, and hope across the African diaspora.
Part of Honolulu African-American Film Festival 2019.
Directed by Stanley Nelson. USA. 2019. 112 mins.
Hot off its world premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, the Honolulu African-American Film Festival is proud to present Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool for the opening night film in celebration of a visionary, innovator and originator who defied categorization and embodied the word “cool.” Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool is a foray into the life and career of musical and cultural icon Miles Davis.
Part of Honolulu African-American Film Festival 2019.
Directed by Kiara C. Jones. USA. 2018. 60 min.
Kiara C. Jones, director of the narrative romance Christmas Wedding Baby, returns to the Honolulu African-American Film Festival to present a powerful and eye-opening look at the challenges youth face in the foster care system. Join us for a post-screening conversation with filmmaker Kiara C. Jones and local professionals working with youth in the foster care system
Part of Honolulu African-American Film Festival 2019.
Directed by Amanda Kopp and Aaron Kopp. Executive Producer Thandie Newton. USA. 2018. 77 mins.
Under the guidance of acclaimed South African storyteller, Gcina Mhlophe, five orphaned children from Swaziland collaborate to craft an original fairytale drawn from their darkest memories and brightest dreams.
Part of the Honolulu African-American Film Festival 2019
Directed by Samuel D. Pollard and Melissa Haizlip. USA. 2018. 115 mins.
Right on the heels of the Civil Rights Movement, one fearless black pioneer re-conceived a Harlem Renaissance for a new era, ushering giants and rising stars of black American culture onto the national television stage. He was hip, smart, innovative, political and gay. In his personal fight for social equality, this man ensured the Revolution would be televised.
Blackbird tells the story of Solomon Islander siblings, Rosa & Kiko, who were kidnapped from their island home to work on a sugar cane plantation in Queensland, Australia in the late 1800s. Rosa struggles to keep an eye on her young spirited brother who comes into conflict with their Overseer. And as Kiko journeys into adulthood, amidst oppression and severe loss of culture and identity, he must find his will to survive.
Part of the Honolulu African-American Film Festival 2019
Directed by Akin Omotoso. South Africa. 2016. 115 mins. Zulu with English subtitles.
Handpicked by Ava DuVernay and a Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and Berlinale official selection, VAYA pays homage to the Tsotsitaal namesake meaning “to go." VAYA chronicles the innocence lost by three young South Africans who journey away from their rural homes on a train bound for Johannesburg.
Part of the Honolulu African-American Film Festival 2019
Directed by Barry Jenkins. USA. 2019. 117 mins.
For the closing night of the Honolulu African-American Film Festival 2019, celebrate the Academy Award-winning director Barry Jenkins’ cinematic portrayal of James Baldwin’s If Beale Street Could Talk.
In celebration of Black History Month, the Windward Choral Society presents "The Storm is Passing Over: A Celebration of African-American Gospel and Spirituals.”
Born and raised in Hawai‘i, Thunderstorm Artis is a multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter who creates music to touch the soul. This Black Futures Month, join Thunderstorm for an intimate performance at Jazz Minds where he’ll play classics and brand-new tunes that will both take you back and will inspire you.
